Capildeo’s legacy a lesson for all

Dr. Rudranath Capildeo

Dear Editor:

On Sunday evening, I had the distinct privilege of attending the inaugural “Dr. Rudranath Capildeo Legacy Lecture” held at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. The Bank should be commended for undertaking such a venture, as the memory of this intellectual colossus should be preserved and told to the youths of the nation so they could aspire to his level of excellence.

The lecture was delivered by his son, Dr. Rudranath “Rudy” Capildeo, a brilliant medical doctor in his own right. Dr. Capildeo delivered a intimate, insightful and riveting talk about his father which revealed snippets of history not previously told. For that I was eternally thankful that I was there. What was poignant was the fact of the country could not properly utilize the brilliance of this man when he was alive. Dr. Capildeo was an academic, but could not find meaningful employment in his country. With a family to take care of and commitments to be met, he had to divide his time between Trinidad and Tobago and London in order to meet those commitments. In 1966 he requested assistance from the then government for full time employment in Trinidad, but none was forthcoming. In 1967 he applied for a post at the University of the West Indies and was accepted, however this appointed was revoked. He went on the live out his final years in London, constantly battling ill health and regular hospitalization, finally losing the battle in 1970

This situation is all too common with what obtains today. Too many of brilliant scholars are not given the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the development of our country. The oil and gas may end at some point, but our best resource, our human resource, will constantly perpetuate itself. We need to find better ways to develop and engage this resource.

Ricardo Jimenez
Via email